Faculty News (Spring 2009)

Music Faculty
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Music Faculty

With direction by Kirsten Z. Cairns (director of opera studies) and music direction and conducting by Karl Paulnack (director of the Music Division), the Conservatory’s 2008 production of The Turn of the Screw was awarded second place in the National Opera Association’s production competition, Class II category.

Ya-Fei Chuang (piano faculty) recently taught a two week master class at the International Summer Academy at Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria where she gave a solo recital.  She was awarded residency at University of Buffalo, NY.  She gave concerto performances with the Malaysian Philharmonic in Kuala Lumpur and at the Taiwan International Piano Festival in the National Concert Hall, Taipei.

Chuang also performed in concerts at the European Festival in Stuttgart, Germany and

Ruhr Festival, Germany (among pianists like Argerich, Barenboim, Lupu, Schiff, Brendel, Zimerman, Pollini and Lang Lang). The live recording of her 2007 solo recital at the Ruhr Festival was released as a premium of the July 2007 issue of Fono Forum Music Magazine (over 25000 copies) and is included in the 20 year Jubilee edition.  She recently released CDs by Naxos, Germany: duo piano + chamber music works by Stanley Walden, recorded in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall; and CDs of chamber music works with and by New York Philomusica.   Upcoming performances are scheduled for Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Salzburg, as well as returning engagements to festivals in Europe, South America, Asia, the United States and here in Boston at the Emmanuel Schumann Series.    

Jonathan Cohler (clarinet faculty) is featured in March-April 2009 issue of Fanfare magazine in the article, “Jonathan Cohler’s Ongaku Records—More than a “Clarinet Label.”  The article discusses Cohler’s unusual career path to music, his current record label and reviews of his most recent CDs, including “Rhapsodie Française,” a collaboration with Conservatory student Rasa Vitkauskaite (M.M., ’10, piano). For complete article. 

Eric Hewitt (chair, woodwinds department) and Sam Solomon (percussion faculty) were reviewed by the New York Times for their recent Yesaroun’ Duo performance of Jeffrey Friedman’s “Eight Songs” at his Composer Portraits concert.  Music critic Allan Kozinn described their performance as “performed with a startling manic energy.”  For complete article. 
 

This past semester, Sharon Leventhal (piano faculty) gave a seminar on community engagement to The New World Symphony in Miami, FL.  She started the second CD of quartets by micro-tonal icon Ben Johnston for the New World label.  Leventhal is in the process of developing a chamber music/community engagement class with Rhonda Rider for The Boston Conservatory.

Lisa Sheldon (voice faculty­) has been appointed to the panel for the National Foundation for Arts in America’s (NFAA) YoungARTS week that takes place during January in Miami.  During YoungArts week, graduating high school seniors are selected in nine areas of the arts to train, perform and compete for prize money.

Dance Faculty